It's OK to mention God in movies
By Mike Haynes
My wife,
Kathy, and I keep up with the movies. As a married couple with no kids, one of
our routines for years has been almost weekly trips to the theater with her
mom, Peggy.
I read
reviews at rogerebert.com and look at cast lists at imdb.com, and we rarely
miss watching the Oscars.
So I can’t
resist following up last month’s column about Christian movies by recommending
yet another one.
We normally
know quite a bit before we go. For example, we were aware that “The Monuments
Men” starred George Clooney and that it was based on a true story about
recovering art the Nazis had stolen during World War II. We had looked forward
to the airplane thriller “Non-Stop” because it featured one of Kathy’s
favorites, the Irishman Liam Neeson, and one of mine, Michelle Dockery of
“Downton Abbey.”
But I knew
next to nothing about “Moms’ Night Out.” Busy at work, I hadn’t found time to
read about it.
I suggested
going because it’s rated PG (that’s a plus when you’re eating popcorn with your
mother-in-law) and because Patricia Heaton is in it. We liked her as the mom in
“Everybody Loves Raymond” and now in “The Middle” and also because she’s an
outspoken Christian, not common in Hollywood.
Still, I
had no idea “Moms’ Night Out” is a “Christian movie.”
I hope that
label doesn’t scare anyone away, because it’s hilarious. I’ve rarely heard so
much laughing. Oh, yeah, I hope this doesn’t scare anyone away, either: It’s a
chick flick.
But it’s a
chick flick with a car chase and deep-voiced Trace Adkins playing a tattooed
biker.
The point
here is that the trend I mentioned last month continues. Here’s a film with
recognizable actors, professional production and a decent script that also is
comfortable mentioning God in a positive light.
Heaton
plays a Baptist pastor’s wife, for goodness sakes, and the first few sequences
show her and her family getting ready for church, her teen daughter whining and
Heaton greeting fellow members in the church lobby. It could have been set in
scores of churches in the Texas Panhandle.
The three tired,
overworked women who take the “moms’ night out” know each other from church and
a women’s Bible study.
 |
| Abbie Cobb, Sarah Drew, Patricia Heaton and Andrea Logan White star in Moms' Night Out. |
The largely
female audience that almost filled the theater (yes, guys, I admit I was one of
the few males) certainly seemed to relate. And how often do you hear applause
at the end of a comedy?
In one
scene, the tough Adkins gives poignant advice to the main mom, played by Sarah
Drew (formerly of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Mad Men”). He tells her that Jesus
loves her just as she is, so she doesn’t have to be the perfect mother.
Yes, he
mentioned Jesus. That may be another reason the crowd clapped when the credits
started.
Patricia
Heaton, also a producer of the film, realizes that the way to influence the
culture is to create wholesome things, not just bemoan those that are eroding
society. I’m sure she knows Matt. 5:16: “…let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Her project
is just a silly comedy, but it sure had a positive impact on our night out at
the movies.
